Defending Gish Jen

Published: November 14, 2004

To the Editor:

We are puzzled by the tone of Craig Seligman's review of Gish Jen's novel ''The Love Wife'' (Oct. 3). Seligman seems angry at Jen's characters, and angry at Jen for creating them.

In our view, the multiple voices that Jen has created enable the reader to do exactly what Seligman finds himself unable to do -- to see from different points of view; to assess the weaknesses and strengths of each character as they are seen through the eyes of others; and to decide, since the author is not giving us a single voice, whom we like and do not like and why. It is unclear how an author can prevent her reader from disliking one of the characters in her book, as Seligman implies. Does she need to point to flaws and remind us of how we are supposed to feel? Are all readers supposed to feel the same way about particular characters?

Finally, Seligman tells us that he lost ''whatever sympathy I had left for Gish Jen,'' as if reading a book has to do with a personal assessment of the book's author.